The camps of the leading presidential candidates, including incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari and that of his main challenger, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, have been upbeat in the scramble for the six geopolitical zones. The initial list of presidential candidates released by INEC in January contained the names of a total of 72 presidential candidates and another 72 vice-presidential candidates. In the build-up to the 1999 presidential election, two power blocs had played a dominant role. The battle has also redrawn the pattern of rivalry between the South-West and the South-East, where the running mates of the presidential candidates hail from. One of such innovations is to ensure that no member of any political party is engaged to participate in the conduct of elections.

Source: Nigerian Tribune February 10, 2019 03:11 UTC